Conical burr coffee grinders can get quite expensive and add a lot to your budget. That’s not always the case, though. Nowadays, you can find many quality burr grinders for a low budget, although they would have less features than their more expensive counterparts, they still offer great value for their price. So, if you have a budget of $100 or less, check out these grinder recommendations.

Please note that prices are of under $100 as of the time of writing this article. Prices are subject to change by their sellers.

Power wise, the Rancilio Rock has a more powerful 166-watts motor while the Gaggia MDF has a 120-watts motor.

The Gaggia MDF has a 10 oz bean hopper and the Rocky has an 8 oz hopper. However, the Rancilio Rocky has a blue tinted hopper with UV protection, which ensures keeping your beans fresh.

The Gaggia MDF has plastic housing. The Rancilio Rocky has a stainless steel housing with some plastic parts.

Which One To Buy?

You might think that because the Rancilio Rocky has more power and grind settings then it should be your go-to choice. But that’s certainly not the case…

Keep in mind that these two grinders both have the same commercial grade burrs, so you’re getting the same quality of a grind.

What coffee brewing method do you usually use? The extra grind settings on the Rancilio Rocky might be useful for someone who regularly makes espresso, so fine-tuning the grind will result in better shots. For other brewing methods, 34 grinds might just be enough.

Your budget will make a big difference in your decision, too. The Rancilio Rocky is way more expensive than the Gaggia MDF, which is fairly priced for the home consumer.

Baratza Sette 270 vs. 270W, What’s The Difference Between Them?

The Baratza Sette 270W has everything the 270 has. But it has one extra feature: Weight-based dosing.

The Baratza Sette 270W uses Acaia’s weighting technology to grind by weight directly into a portafilter. It also has Bluetooth capabilities that allows you to monitor and track your grind sessions, weight and settings.

Baratza Sette 270 vs. Vario, What’s The Difference?

The Sette 270 gives you 30 adjustable settings from coarse to fine (Macro steps), then for micro adjustments, you get stepless adjustments. That means you pretty much get infinite steps to experiment with.

Vario has 10 adjustments from coarse to fine and 23 macro steps, giving you a total of 230 grind settings.

Programmability & Controls:

The Sette 270 has an LCD backlit display and buttons to help you dial in your settings. There are three programmable buttons to save your favorite settings. And it has a Stop, Play/Pause and Up/Down buttons.

The Vario has a smaller display with no backlight. You get the same 3 programmable buttons to save your frequent settings. There’s also a Start/Stop buttons and Up/Down for grind time.

Bean Hopper Capacity:

Sette 270: 10 oz

Vario: 8 oz

Portafilter Holder:

The Sette 270 has a built-in portafilter holder that is convertible and can be adjusted to hold a coffee brewing tool like a Hario V60, Clever Dripper, Kalita dripper an Aeropress and so.

The Vario’s holder is designed to only hold a portafilter for hands-free espresso grinding.

Design:

The Sette 270 has a more modern design that is new to Baratza. The design is inspired by its name, Sette, which means Seven in Italian. The profile of the Sette 270 is designed to look like the number 7.

On the other hand, the Vario has the classic Baratza look. A nice thing about this classic look is that it’s easier to see the adjustable steps on it than on the new design of the Sette 270.

Baratza Sette 270W vs. Vario-W, What’s The Difference?

The Sette 270W and Vario-W both use weight-based dosing. However, the weighting method is different in each model:

The Sette 270W uses Acaia’s advanced technology, which is known for its Bluetooth electric scale. Sette 270W’s scale is also Bluetooth powered, and it allows you to monitor and log your weight and grind sessions.

Vario-W has a built-in scale as well, and it allows you to do weight based dosing just like the Sette 270W. However, it lacks the Bluetooth capability.

Watch The Grinders in Action:

It is no secret that the coffee you drink is as good as the grind you make. Brewing a fresh and consistent ground of coffee makers a huge difference in the taste of the cup you’re brewing, and that’s why a coffee grinder is a must-buy. However, many people get quite confused over what type of grinder should they buy. In our post today, we will focus on answering the question ” Should I buy a manual or an electric grinder?”.

Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages to each kind of grinder, and the best kind of grinder will vary from one person to another, so read the post and we hope we will help you get your answer here!

What Is a Hand Coffee Grinder and How Does It Work?

Just like it sounds, a hand grinder or a manual grinder is worked by hand. Just like electric grinders, many hand grinders are adjustable and have ceramic burrs that won’t heat the beans, so quality of the grind isn’t the issue here. With a hand grinder you will manually adjust the burrs to get the fineness you want and you will manually rotate the crank until your beans are fully ground. The process requires some patience and a little power.

Pros of a Manual Hand Coffee Grinder:

Affordable: an electric burr grinder can set you back a few hundred dollars, but a hand grinder can be well under $50 -$70.

Portable: if you’re someone who’s always on the go, you’ll appreciate the fact that you can take a hand grinder with you everywhere you go.

Non-electric: a hand grinder is fully manual, so you don’t have to worry about power consumption.

Adjustable: you can always adjust the grind on a hand grinder to meet your required brewing method.

Quiet: if noise is an issue to you, a hand grinder doesn’t make a sound, which is a big plus.

Cons of a Manual Hand Grinder:

Time Consuming: If you’re looking to make a quick cup of coffee, grinding by hand isn’t the method to go for.

Limited Adjustment: while you can adjust the grind on a hand grinder, the adjustment is pretty limited in comparison to an electric grinder. You can probably get anything from 5 to 10 adjustable settings on a hand grinder, while you can get over 40 on an electric one.

Limited Quantity: say you want to grind a large amount of coffee at some point, doing it by hand would be such a hassle. With most hand grinders, you can get a maximum of 2 or 3 cups of coffee at a time.

Tiring: yes, this manual operation will get tiring at some point. And if you don’t have the patience and time for it, then it’s not the right grinder for you.

Best Manual Hand Coffee Grinders:

Hario Ceramic Skerton Coffee Mill:

Hario, leaders of manual coffee gear and gadgets, has created this manual grinder with a generous capacity of 100 grams. It has about 4 levels of adjustment to grind the coffee to different fineness. The Hario Skerton ceramic mills, which is great for creating a consistent grind without heat up the beans. The grinder hopper is hard plastic with silicone non-slip handle and the bean catcher (bottom part) is heatproof glass.

The Porlex grinder is another popular choice among many coffee lovers. This one is smaller and more portable than the Hario Skerton, as it has a capacity of only 30 grams, but it makes a perfect travel companion. It features ceramic burrs, adjustable grind settings and a stainless steel body. It is made in Japan.

What Is an Electric Burr Coffee Grinder?

You’ve probably seen an electric burr coffee grinder before, it’s in every coffee house you go to and it’s what they use to grind the coffee of your favorite drink right before preparing it and it only takes seconds to get the task done. Electric grinders are quick and easy to use.

Pros of an Electric Burr Grinder:

Speed: an electric grinder will do what a hand grind does in seconds. This especially matters if you’re brewing for espresso, because in this brewing method, you will need to brew the ground right away so you don’t lose any aromas.

Adjustable: an electric grinder will give you the option to really fine-tune the grind fineness, which in turn allows you to experiment with your grind and the taste of your coffee.

Cup Selector/Timer: when it comes to the right quantity to grind, an electric grinder will take the guess work out and will automatically grind the perfect amount for the number of cups you choose.

Cons of an Electric Burr Grinder:

Expensive: an electric burr grinder can be expensive in comparison to a manual grinder, yet many options can be quite affordable for what they are.

Large in size: an electric grinder can take up some counter space and will need their dedicated place in your kitchen. And they’re not portable.

Loud and Noisy: this is no surprise but an electric grinder will be quite loud, but it’s nothing unbearable.

Best Electric Burr Grinders Under $150:

Bodum Bistro Electric Conical Burr Grinder:

This rather affordable grinder by Bodum does a great job at providing you with a good grind at an affordable price. The Bodum Bistro electric grinder has 14 grind settings to choose from coarse to fine. It has a borosilicate glass catcher reduces static that usually comes with grinding beans, and it comes with a lid that keeps the ground coffee fresh. a push button, pre-set timer allows users to grind the exact amount of coffee needed. The grinder is available in many colors.

This is the entry-level grinder by major grinder brand Baratza. The Encore has 40 adjustable fineness settings, which is amazing for all kinds of brewing methods. The bean hopper holds up to 8 oz of beans, while the ground bin holds up to 5 oz.

More Posts To Read:

It’s no secret that the grind of your coffee has a lot to do with how good your brewed cup turns out to be. Unfortunately, many people tend to skip on buying a grinder due to the fact that they’re usually quite expensive. However, that’s not the case when it comes to the two budget grinders we’ll be comparing today. The Cuisinart DBM-8 and KRUPS GX5000 are both under $50, which makes them a perfect buy for anyone on a budget. But which one of them should you choose? That’s what we will be answering in this post.

Features of the Cuisinart DBM-8 Supreme Burr Grinder:

burr grinder that provides a consistent grind every time.

Heavy-duty, stainless steel housing.

Choose from 18 total grind settings. Three main settings: Fine, Medium, Coarse with 6 grind settings for each type of these grinds.

Automatic quantity grinding: simply choose from 4 to 18 cups and the grinder will automatically grind the optimal amount for you.

Metallic flat burr grinder for coffee loversBurr mill system avoids overheating, preserves aroma and has a grind fineness selector for a precise grinding9 grind levels: From fine (espresso) to coarse (french press) to perfectly grind for every type of coffee beverage8 oz. Clear bean containerQuantity selector from 2 to 12 cups, to just grind the quantity you needAuto stop safety mechanism: the unit will not grind if the bean container is empty

The KRUPS GX5000 has a lot more grind settings than the Cuisinart DBM-8, with a total of 45 settings on the KRUPS vs only 18 on the Cuisinart.

Quantity Selector:

On the Cuisinart, you can automatically grind the amount of 4 to 18 cups of coffee.

For the KRUPS, the selector allows you to choose from 2 to 12 cups.

Bean Hopper Capacity:

Both grinders have the same 8 oz capacity bean hopper.

Which Of These Grinders Should You Buy?

Since both the Cuisinart DBM-8 and KRUPS GX5000 are almost the exact same price (at the time of writing – kindly always check for the latest price), it will certainly come down to the features.

We are leaning towards the KRUPS GX5000 here because of its wider grind setting selection. With a grind like this, you can really fine-tune your grind and experiment till you get the result you really want. This works for any type of brewing method, from French Press, to drip, pour-over or espresso.

Watch How They Work:

Review of the Cuisinart DBM-8 Supreme:

Common Questions & Answers:

Are The Cuisinart DBM-8 and KRUPS GX5000 Conical Burr Grinders?

No, they are not. And that’s why they’re available at such an affordable price. These grinders use flat burrs.

What’s The Difference Between a Flat Burr and Conical Burr?

A flat burr is different shape than a conical burr. Flat burrs sit on top of each other in a flat manner (hence, the name), while conical burrs are cone shaped and are nested in each other with a grind mechanism that is kind of vertical. While these burrs work differently, both can provide consistent results.